The Rose Inn
by Virginia
Summary: Nora and Elaine go to England during their last summer before college. They wanted a fun vacation, but they got more than they bargained for!rnrnPLEASE REVIEW! Thanks! :)
1. Nora and Elaine meet Remus

Nora struggled through the crowded airport, her duffle bag banging heavily against her leg. Peering over her shoulder, she could see Elaine close behind, pushing through the tightly packed people.

"You go outside and get a cab!" Elaine called, and Nora nodded back. She practically leapt into the revolving door and hurried outside, raising her arm to hail one of the curious looking black English taxicabs. As the cab pulled up, Nora heard Elaine come up beside her.

"Whew! What a crowd!" Elaine gasped. "I thought British people are supposed to be polite." Nora laughed. As the cab drove through the narrow streets of London, she felt absolutely elated. She could hardly believe they were actually here.

During their final year in high school, Nora Cane and Elaine Glitwick had planned a last vacation together before college started. They had decided to go to London, and their parents had willingly provided the money for their tickets, though any spending money had to be earned on their own. They each took up odd jobs: Elaine worked in a nursery and pre-school program; Nora found a job in a store called _Transformations_, which sold things like crystals and tarot cards. Nora had saved nearly a thousand dollars working for the entire school year, though it caused her to form an aversion towards incense and candles. Nevertheless, she thought, it was worth the sacrifice. They managed to get out of the little town of Green Leaf, and now she was looking forward to spending three weeks filled with sightseeing with Elaine.

The cab dropped them off at a small bed and breakfast, and Nora couldn't help noticing that this part of London seemed a lot different from the one they had just driven through. Elaine seemed to have the same thought.

"A lot different from the ad, don't you think?" She said, nervously looking around. Nora nodded. The streets were very narrow, filled with broken cobblestones, and it was somehow darker, almost shadowed, even though it was midday and the sun was shining in full force. The bed and breakfast was a small, ramshackle Tudor, with a small wooden sign hanging outside, The Rose Inn written on it in peeling paint, and there was a lopsided chimney sticking out of a poorly shingled rood. The windows were small and dark, and seemed covered in a thick coating of soot and grime. Elaine was looking glum now, but Nora shrugged.

"I don't know what we were expecting for 25 dollars a night." She said, smiling at Elaine. Elaine nodded, but continued looking upset. "Let's go in." Nora urged, "Come on, we can't stand out here forever. Who knows, perhaps it looks better on the inside than the out." Elaine nodded again, and they picked up their bags and pushed open the small wooden door.

They stepped into a small, dusty parlor, with a rickety wooden reception desk. There was no one at the desk, and Nora looked doubtfully at the rusty bell.

"I'm afraid it will break if I breathe on it." She hissed to Elaine, who finally cracked a smile. Nora took a deep breath, reached out, and lightly tapped the bell, which emitted a surprisingly strong DING. A man stepped out of the back room. He was fairly tall, and he seemed young, though there was a sprinkling of gray hairs among the light brown ones on his head, and his forehead was lined with slight wrinkles. His hazel eyes looked at them almost wearily, but he smiled showing even white teeth.

"Welcome, ladies. What can I help you with?" He said in a deep and slightly hoarse voice.

"I think we had a reservation here." Elaine said, giving him an appraising look. Nora, however, smiled warmly in return.

"Yes, a reservation for Elaine Glitwick and Nora Cane." She said helpfully. He nodded, and flipped open a leather bound book, filled with lists of names.

"Ah, yes. Here you are...three weeks, I believe, a double. I've set aside the best room here for you." He reached up and pulled down a key from a rack behind the desk, and stepped out. "Let me carry your bags for you." Nora thanked him, and handed him her bag. Elaine did not, and clutched her bag tightly.

"Er, no thanks, I think I've got it." The man shrugged as if he half expected it and started up the rickety stairs on the side of the parlor. Nora shot Elaine a disapproving look, before turning to follow him. Elaine hesitated before following them slowly.

The man showed them to a spacious, sunlit room with a large queen sized bed. Nora stopped in the doorway, looking around almost with shock. This was nothing to what she had expected. Unlike the rest of the inn, this place was spotlessly clean, with beautiful mahogany furniture and pine floors. Nora inhaled the scent of cleaner and, she was almost sure, sunlight. The man deposited her bag on the bed and turned to face her.

"Will this be fine?"

Nora heard Elaine stop dead beside her, and, smiling broadly, said, "This will be perfectly fine. Thank you Mr...um.."

"Lupin, Remus Lupin. You can call me Remus. Dinner's at 3, lavatory is down the hall to your left, and if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to phone down to me." He said, gesturing to an old fashioned telephone on a bedside table. Nora nodded in acknowledgment and stepped further into the room to allow Elaine to enter. She sidled in cautiously and gaped around the room. Remus walked past them, and, after a final

"Thank you, Remus" from Nora, closed the door.

"This room is wonderful!" Elaine gasped. Nora looked at her with mock severity. "Well, Miss Fusspot finally likes something."

"You didn't like it from the outside, either!" Elaine shot back.

"At least I was willing to give this place a chance! Look how lucky we are. Best room in the house, he said, and I believe it." Nora declared, looking around the room again. Elaine dropped her bag onto the bed with a thud and glared at her friend.

"And then there's you letting a perfect stranger take your bag." Nora rolled her eyes.

"Elaine, he's the one who owns this place. It's not like he would suddenly bolt out the door with a bag full of women's clothing. I keep anything valuable on myself, anyway, don't you?" Elaine looked away, and Nora sighed. Elaine's head snapped around again.

"I still can't believe that you could be so friendly with a complete stranger. Something about him creeps me out. It's like he doesn't know how to act or even wear his clothes." Nora giggled, and Elaine continued to glare at her. "It's not a laughing matter, Nora Regina Cane."

"All right, calm down, _Mother_. There's no need to employ the middle name tactic. I don't know; I feel like we can trust him. I don't think he'll rob us blind, and hey, he's going to feed us tonight. That'll save us some cash." Nora stated. Elaine finally stopped glaring, shrugged, and started opening her bag. Nora watched her closely, then, deciding their argument was over, started unpacking her own bag.

At three p.m, they headed downstairs, having showered and changed, feeling refreshed and more optimistic, their earlier argument all but forgotten. There were four other people sitting at the large mahogany dinner table: a stooped over, wizened old man with thick spectacles, a tall gangly woman swathed in an assortment of many scarves and flowy material, also wearing spectacles which made her eyes seem oddly bug-like, a short man in a pinstripe outfit with a bright violet bowler derby and flushed, round cheeks, and an older man with a mop of gray hair and a bushy mustache. Elaine and Nora glanced at each other before settling at one end of the table. Nora couldn't help overhearing some of the conversation the other guests were having.

"Well, I heard that Dumbledore has been having problems up at the school. Seems that several people nearly died there, and one of the teachers lost his entire memory." The wizened old man was saying.

"It's true, quite true, Diggle," The woman in glasses answered, nodding sagely, "Seems we had a problem with You-Know-Who, or what used to be him, when he once went to the school. Of course, I had foreseen it all. Although I did miss the part where poor Professor Lockhart lost his memory. Poor man, a great teacher, or so I've heard."

"Was it amnesia?" Nora asked, breaking in. Everyone turned to look at her with surprise.

"Amnesia, dear?" The woman asked in mild indignation. "I do believe that is a Muggle term."

"Muggle?" Nora was completely lost. Diggle looked at her carefully, then whispered into the woman's ear, and she raised her eyebrows. "Oh, of course, forgive me, I had no idea that you were a..."

Before she could finish, Remus Lupin swept in carrying a heavy tray loaded with meat and potatoes. "Here we are!" He said brightly. "Dinner's served." He placed the tray in the middle of the table, and filled everyone's glass with a strange looking orange liquid. Elaine and Nora looked at it doubtfully, but, once seeing the other guests start taking hearty swigs, took an experimental sip.

It was deliciously cool, and Nora knew she could taste pumpkin. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, saying, "This is wonderful. What is it called?"

The man in the bowler derby said, "It is pumpkin juice. Lupin makes one mean barrel of pumpkin juice. Tell us Lupin," He continued as Remus settled himself at the end of the table, next to Nora, "What _is_ your recipe?"

Remus smiled. "It's an old family secret."

Nora turned to face him. "Well, it is delicious, whatever the secret recipe is, Mr. Lupin." He smiled again, looking down at his plate.

The rest of the dinner turned out to be as delicious as the pumpkin juice, which Elaine, Nora, and the other guests drank liberal quantities of at the urging of Remus Lupin. Nora listened with interest to the conversation going on around her, though she noticed that they seemed to be holding back. _Probably that infamous English reserve._

The topic of conversation rested mainly on the recent escape of a dangerous convict, and Nora noticed they seemed awfully worried about this. Some man called Sirius Black had broken out of a high security jail, and was now being searched for by the whole of England.

"What did he do?" Nora asked. They all looked at her again, and again, she felt as if she should know something. Remus answered.

"It is said that he killed 13 people at one time with a bomb about 12 years ago. They convicted him immediately." Nora detected a note of sadness in his voice, and pondered it. Did he know one of the people killed? Or was he simply distressed at the senseless waste of life? She looked at Elaine and saw the same question written on her face. But Remus didn't elaborate any further. He merely stood and started clearing away plates.

It was out of habit that Nora stood and asked, "Would you like help with the plates, Mr. Lupin?" He shook his head, smiling.

"No, that's all right. I still have dessert coming up; plum pudding if you would care for any. Oh, and call me Remus. Being called Mr. Lupin is too formal for me."

Nora sat back down. Elaine pinched her arm and gave her a look of _what the hell were you thinking?_ Nora shrugged. She found herself beginning to not care about whether Remus was into convict rights or not, and started forming an outline of plan for their next day in London. She was sure that Remus, and perhaps some of the others would willingly point them in the right direction of the interesting spots of the city.

Nora sat in front of the dresser mirror brushing her hair. Her mother always said that her hair was her best asset. It flowed thickly down her back in deep chestnut tresses, with natural golden highlights that shone in the sunlight. She tied it back into loose double plaits, and attached them at the nape of her neck, keeping them out of her face, and preventing them from becoming tangled.

She sat for a moment, staring into the mirror. Almond shaped brown eyes looked back at her in puzzlement. Nora couldn't understand why Elaine was acting so peculiarly recently. Right now she was in the beautiful green bathroom down the hallway. It seemed almost as if Elaine were frightened to be here. She hadn't spoken at all during dinner, and when Nora was forced to introduce the two of them, Elaine had merely nodded in response to the greetings from the guests at the table. Nora decided she would talk to her about it.

Her thoughts next fell on Remus Lupin, the shabby looking innkeeper. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about him was attractive. Perhaps it was the way his eyes looked at a person as if he could see the whole of him or her, or the way his deep voice carried an undercurrent of compassion. Whatever it was, she found it unnerving how quickly she had become charmed by this strange Englishman. She tried to brush the thought from her mind. He couldn't be under thirty, and she was eighteen. Sure, something like this would have worked in the 19th century in a Jane Austen novel, but never in the 21st century, with the current social restrictions. Nora also felt that she wouldn't be seeing all that much of him anyway. There was too much to do.

Elaine came back into the bedroom, her face pale and drawn. Nora was instantly worried. "Elaine! What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

"I...I was walking back from the bathroom, and I passed that Lupin guy, and...and..." She trailed off.

"And what?" Nora prompted. Elaine shrugged. "He just gave me a strange look, that's all."

"What kind of strange look?" Nora asked. Elaine shuddered, looking fearful.

"It can be only described as wolf-like." Nora couldn't help it; she burst into laughter. Elaine looked hurt and angry, but Nora couldn't stop.

"Elaine," She sputtered, "Don't be ridiculous. Wolf-like?" Elaine frowned at her.

"It can only make sense. After all, his last name means wolf in Latin." By this time, Nora was in full hysterics, and had practically fallen off her chair. Elaine stomped over to the bed, and pulled back the covers. "You may not be worried about our safety," She said, "But I am, and I definitely don't like this guy." She climbed into the bed without another word, turning off the bedside light.

Nora snuck back into the room after her own visit to the bathroom, and climbed into the bed next to Elaine, turning out her own light. She lay for a long time in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. She could tell that Elaine hadn't fallen asleep either. Nora didn't know what had gotten into her best friend, but she didn't want to be on no speaking terms with her for the entire vacation.

"Elaine?" She ventured.

"Hmm?" Elaine rolled over to look at her. Nora took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Elaine. I should be more watchful as well. It's just that I'm so excited to be here, with you. We'll never get an opportunity like this again. Please, be patient with me?" Nora could see Elaine's shadowy face smile and nod. "Thank you." Nora said feeling relieved. _See,_ she told herself,_ everything's going to be all right._


	2. A Day in London

The next morning was bright and cheery. Nora woke up early and quietly left the room, deciding to allow Elaine a lie in. Downstairs, delicious smells wafted out as Nora pushed the door to the kitchen open. Remus stood over a pot of gently bubbling porridge, using one hand to stir the mixture and the other to flip a pan of sizzling bacon.

He looked up when he heard her come in. "Good morning!" He called, smiling cheerily.

"Good morning, Mr...er...Remus. Is there anything I can do to help?" She said. Remus looked surprised but gratified, and he nodded over to a carton of eggs. "Do you think you could make a batch of scrambled eggs?"

"But of course." Nora said, putting on a French accent, "I can whip up a mean scrambled egg before you can say chicken!"

Soon they had made mounds of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, toast, porridge, and pancakes. As the coffee was brewing, Remus poured two glasses of orange juice, and they sat at a small kitchen table.

"This place is very deceiving from the outside." Nora said, looking around the brightly lit kitchen. Remus smiled.

"That's what most people say."

"How did you get started in this business?" Nora asked curiously. Remus glanced away, looking reluctant to answer the question. She nodded understandingly, saying, "It's all right. Don't worry about it." He smiled slightly, but didn't say anything. Nora didn't know what to say in the silence, so she shifted back in her chair, letting the conversation drop. His eyes met hers, looking grateful, yet there was something else in their deep gray depths that Nora couldn't quite make out. _But he does have nice eyes, doesn't he? They're so gray, they look like slate. _Nora was shocked at her own thoughts. _What the hell are you thinking, you idiot? He's too old!_

After awhile, Remus pulled out of his reverie, looking at his watch. "Oh my goodness! It's 8 o'clock." He stood and picked up a tray of pancakes. Nora took the large bowl of porridge, following him into the main dining room. Most of the guests were already seated, including Elaine, who looked up sharply as Remus and Nora entered. Nora smiled at her, placed the bowl in the middle of the table and sat next to her.

"What were you doing?" She hissed harshly as Remus disappeared back into the kitchen. Nora reached for the plate of pancakes, pile three onto Elaine's plate as well as her own.

"Well," Nora replied calmly, "I woke up early, and I didn't want to wake you. So I snuck downstairs and seduced Remus Lupin in the kitchen over a frying pan." Nora laughed at the horrified look on Elaine's face. "Just kidding." Elaine frowned at her.

Nora smiled down at her plate. This was the way it always was with she and Elaine. Elaine was always cautious, always taking things very slowly. Nora had always been reckless, especially since her parents' divorce. It seemed that since then she had never been willing to take care of herself. She was very protective of her friends and her younger siblings, but she cared nothing when it came to her own safety. Only Elaine seemed to understand the real pain under the shields Nora had put up. Only Elaine knew what it was like to have visitation "rights" and to have to watch in agony as her little brothers and sisters were forced to spend every other weekend at a different house, rather than grow up with one intact family under one roof.

Nora had promised herself, that day, when she discovered The Secret her parents had, that she would never open her heart to any person, especially men. She knew too much what it would feel like to be abandoned.

Remus entered the room again balancing the rest of the food on a large tray, and Nora eagerly took a serving of eggs, dousing them liberally with the ketchup from the small bottle at the end of the table. She looked up to see the rest of the people looking at her strangely.

"What can I say?" She said, "Americans love ketchup and eggs." Elaine sighed.

"You're the only one who likes ketchup and eggs, Nora. You like ketchup and everything, I never understood why." Nora smiled sheepishly, until Remus sat down across from them and reached for the small bottle.

"Don't worry, Nora. You aren't the only one who likes ketchup." With that he covered everything on his plate, except for the pancakes, in a thick layer of ketchup.

Elaine looked at his plate in disgust, and stood abruptly. "Excuse me, I think I've lost my appetite." She walked from the room, with Nora calling from behind her, "Oh come on Elaine! We worked hard on this breakfast. You don't have to cover everything with ketchup, just some of it. Maybe the porridge will taste good with some. Elaine? Come back, please?" There was no answer, and Nora looked down at her plate again, her good mood ruined. The other guests started laughing and talking, and Remus leaned across the table.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. Nora looked at him in surprise.

"Sorry? Why should you be sorry?" Her voice was a little sharper than she had meant it to be, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. She shook her head. "What I'm upset about is the fact that this will be our last summer together before we're off to college, and she's acting like she's got a bee in her bonnet."

"Maybe I shouldn't have used so much ketchup?" Remus asked softly. She smiled weakly.

After breakfast, Nora walked back up to their room and found Elaine intently studying a map of London. "Hey." Elaine looked up.

"Hi. I've found some great sites we could go to today, all within walking distance." Nora smiled in relief. Elaine wasn't resentful; it must've been the sight of the ketchup that had really upset her.

"That sounds great!" Nora said enthusiastically. "We should head out right away."

The day proved to be fun for both of them. They took pictures, watched the changing of the guard, and even managed to make the stiffly standing guard twitch by kissing him on the cheek. They bought a lunch of fish and chips, and sat eating it in Picadilly Square while trying to fend off the masses of pigeons.

Later, while they were walking down a larger avenue, Nora spotted a tiny, unremarkable doorway in between a flashy record shop and hairstylist's. There was a sign on the outside that said The Leaky Cauldron. Her curiosity was instantly piqued.

"Hey, Elaine."

"What?"

"Let's go in here."

"What, the record store? But we can see the record store anytime in America."

"No, not that, the one next to it."

"You want a haircut now?"

"No, no," Nora said gesturing impatiently, "I mean in between the record store and the hairplace. That little door there...don't you see it?" Elaine gave her a worried look.

"Nora, are you feeling all right? Maybe we've walked too much for today. Do you want to head back to the inn?" Nora couldn't understand why Elaine was refusing to see the Leaky Cauldron, but she gave in. It was most likely because it appeared so much like the Rose Inn on the outside, and Nora clearly remembered how Elaine had first reacted to _that_.

"Perhaps." She said with a sigh. As they walked back to The Rose Inn, Nora made a mental note of the location of the Cauldron. She had the funniest feeling that she had not imagined it.

That afternoon, Remus Lupin was not at dinner, though everything was set up before they sat down. Nora wondered vaguely where he could be as she ate a delicious slice of mince pie. She noticed that Elaine was coming out of her shell more, describing to Trelawney what they did that day.

"Then, we ate lunch in Picadilly Square, right in front of those huge stone lions, you know the ones I mean? And those pigeons! Oh, my god, they were ready to tear us from limb to limb if we didn't give them something to eat. I told Nora not to, but she gave them a few of her French fries...I mean, chips. Droppings everywhere! But we decided to come back when we were walking along another street, and poor Nora had a hallucination, which I'm sure was brought on by the heat."

Trelawney looked excited by this, her already large eyes widening. "A hallucination, dear? Perhaps it was a premonition brought on by the ambiance of..."

"Yes, yes, all very well and good," Diggle interrupted quickly, "Perhaps Nora wants to describe what she saw today?"

Slightly taken aback, Nora said, "Sure." They all looked at her expectantly. "Well," She said slowly, "We were walking down a street, though I can't remember which one," _A lie, but they won't know_, "and I spotted this tiny door in between a record store and a barber's. It had a sign that said The Leaky Cauldron, it looked kind of like a bar...um...pub. Elaine didn't see it for some reason, so I've decided that I must have had some kind of hallucination or something like that. Oh, yeah," She said, remembering something from the corner of her mind, "I saw this man walk in to the pub. He was wearing what looked kind of like scarlet robes. So, I must have been hallucination, because no one wears clothes like those. Not anymore, I would hope." Nora stopped talking and looked around the table. Elaine was snickering at her, but that was to be expected after ranting on about hidden doorways and men in robes. However, the other guests were looking rather excited. The man with the bowler derby was practically bouncing up and down in his chair, looking around at everybody and winking. Ms. Trelawney looked slightly disappointed but was smiling as well, and Diggle kept leaning over and whispering to the man with the mustache.

"Well?" Nora asked. Trelawney took the opportunity.

"It was not quite what we expected, but I would have to say that this is startling news. I believe that we need to have a discussion after dinner with you. Sorry, Elaine," She looked apologetically at Nora's friend, who seemed stunned by their reaction, "But I'm afraid we cannot allow you to be a part of this conversation."

"Excuse me?" Nora broke in indignantly, "She cannot be allowed in the conversation? She is my friend, my _best_ friend to be exact, and there's no way in hell you are going to exclude her. If you want to say something to me, well then you are going to have to say it to both of us."

The man in the bowler derby bounced even more, crying, "Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff! I would stake my life on it!" The man with the mustache looked at the derby man sternly, before turning to Nora.

"We respect your loyalty to your friend, we most definitely do. However, what must be said is for your ears alone, and should you wish to relay the information to her at a later time, then you may do so. But for now, you are to be the only one who hears what we have to say. Is that understood?"

Nora stood up abruptly. "Yes, I understand. Therefore, I am going to choose not to hear what you have to say." With that she turned and walked from the room.

Elaine walked into their bedroom later to see Nora staring at herself in the ornate mirror with a strange look on her face

"Hi." Elaine said, quietly.

Nora turned. "Hey. You know what, I think this mirror was just talking to me. It said, 'Listen, listen.' Maybe I'm going crazy." She turned back and looked at the mirror. Elaine walked quickly over, hugging her from behind. She felt Nora tense up as she always did when others touched her.

"You are not going crazy!" Elaine whispered fiercely. "Though it was rather rude what you did to them tonight."

Nora stood up, breaking the embrace, her green eyes flashing dangerously. "I..._I_ was rude!" She sputtered, "Who are they to just brush you off? 'I'm afraid we cannot allow you to be a part of this conversation?' Doesn't that define as rude in your dictionary? 'Cause it sure as hell does in mine! They're nothing but a bunch of...of...dammit, I can't think of what to call them!"

"Stuffy old British codgers?"

"That's it!" Nora said, starting to pace around the room. Elaine watched her friend working herself up. She had only seen her act like this a few times in all the years they'd known each other. Usually Nora was cheery and easy going, quick to make friends, but rarely get very close to them, keeping the relationship superficial. Whenever anyone tried to reach out to her, to bring more meaning to their relationship, she backed away quickly, as if she felt she couldn't touch anyone. Only Elaine had been able to cross this border, and even now she was careful about touching Nora.

"Nora?" Elaine asked after awhile.

"What?" Nora said, stopping to look at her.

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious about what they have to say to you?" Elaine plowed on, knowing that closed look on Nora's face. "I mean, I really don't mind missing out on the conversation. After all, you could just tell me everything when you feel like it, like the guy said." The closed look had receded somewhat, but Nora still remained adamant.

"No, I'm not curious. If they want to say something to me, you'll have to hear it _with me_. Not later."

"Well, all right." Elaine backed off. "How about a movie, then? I heard there's a pretty good film out right now." Nora smiled, a controlled, forced smile. Elaine seemed to know what to do all the time. _She's just so calm and placid_.

"Sounds good." Nora tried to seem enthusiastic. _Just forget about everything. You can't think about things too much, or they _will_ drive you crazy._

It was a good movie, a British comedy that had both of them laughing hysterically. They left the movie-theater happily chatting and flicking popcorn at each other. Nora had temporarily forgotten what had happened earlier that evening, when suddenly...

"Did you see that?"

"What?"

"An owl! An owl just flew right overhead!" Nora cried pointing up.

"Where? I don't see anything."

"It's gone now, but I swear, a huge brown owl flew overhead carrying what looked like..." She trailed off, unwilling to say what she swore she had seen the owl carrying.

"Well, what was it carrying?" Elaine asked.

"A mouse." Nora finished weakly. She didn't think it could be possible that an owl would be carrying a package. Or could it? _Oh, my god. I think I'm losing my mind._ She looked at Elaine.

Elaine shrugged, saying unconcernedly. "That's cool." Nora felt herself breathe a sigh of relief. She was going to drop it, not talk any more about owls, or hidden doors, or talking mirrors, or anything.

With a shock, Nora realized they were walking down the street where she had seen the Leaky Cauldron. She took a quick glance to see if the door was still there, and felt her stomach drop when she saw it was there. She gave a small start when two people entered the Cauldron, both in billowing black robes. This time she was sure she wasn't imagining things.

Nora looked at Elaine to see if she finally did see it, but Elaine's eyes seemed to slide from the record store to the barber's without even resting on the door. Nora felt slightly ill, and Elaine stopped and stared at her.

"Nora? Are you feeling all right? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Anna moaned, swaying slightly. "Must be the popcorn."

"We should get back." Nora nodded, and turned back around, allowing Elaine to lead her.


	3. I'm a WHAT?

Elaine asked no questions. She simply brought Nora back to the inn and made her lie down. She went to the kitchen and brought back a mug of tea, reporting that Mr. Lupin...

"Don't call him Mr. Lupin." Anna said weakly, sipping at the steaming tea.

Well, all right then, Remus hadn't arrived back yet, or so it seemed. And another interesting tidbit of information; the rest of the guests were gathered in the front sitting room, seeming to have a deep conversation.

"About my rudeness, no doubt."

"Actually, they stopped talking when I passed by, so I don't really know. It could be about somebody else, like that convict."

"Maybe."

Late that night, when Elaine had long since fallen asleep, Nora lay awake, thinking. She couldn't understand what was happening. Everything seemed so surreal right now. She watched the full moon hanging low outside the window, so low and close, that Nora felt she could reach out and touch it shining pearly blue face. Finally, Nora stood and walked downstairs, intending to sit with another cup of tea or cocoa. She crept down the stairs, careful of any creaks in the wood. She had gone halfway to the kitchen, when the sound of murmuring voices made her stop. They were coming from the sitting room, and Nora could clearly see the door slightly ajar.

She stole up to the door, placing her ear next to the crack, and listened.

"How did he miss it? There was obviously potential there, and he missed." Came the voice of Diggle.

"Dumbledore, miss anything? I beg your pardon, but this was not his fault. McGonagall is in charge of these things," Trelawney's voice sounded icy.

"My dear Professor Trelawney, we are not insinuating that Dumbledore's at fault here. Anything could have happened." Said the man with the mustache.

"What could have stopped any letter from arriving to her, wherever she was, Mr. Figgs?" Asked Trelawney.

"Well, maybe those American schools aren't doing a good job of keeping their eyes open. I've known that school in Salem to make a few slipups, myself. It's run by that ninny Professor Haley. Remember him? He's the one that was sent all of those Howlers years ago by parents who claimed he was teaching their children poorly. Didn't even know how to pronounce a few of the simplest hexes, they claimed. I'm half inclined to believe them too." Said Figgs.

"Perhaps there was no sign of it until she arrived here." Suggested the derby hat man. "That's happened before."

"Good point, Mr. Landry. Who knows, maybe she'd turn out to be a Squib, and that would be ten times worse than being a Muggle." Said Diggle.

Nora knew they were talking about her and she felt anger start coursing through her. She did not understand what a Squib or Muggle was, though she was certain they could not be good things. The anger boiled in her, and she stared at the wood grains in the door intently. She did not know how she ended up in the room, or how Diggle was thrown about halfway across it.

Nora stared at them and they gazed back in shock. Then one by one, they started applauding, even Diggle, who lay on his back. Nora watched them, confused by the way they had reacted. Diggle jumped to his feet, ran up to her and shook her hand vigorously.

"I do believe, Miss Cane, that we have had our first break through."

The others nodded their heads, and Figgs cried, "Quite so, quite so!"

Nora had no clue what they were talking about. "Break through? Break through in what?"

"Why just look at the door!" Landry said, gesturing excitedly. Nora looked behind her and saw the door smashed inward, splintered at the hinges.

"Oh no." She groaned. _How are we going to fix this?_ She didn't think she could possibly cover for the price of the door. But, now Landry was patting her on the shoulder, and taking out what looked like a long, thin stick.

"Quite all right. We'll have this fixed up in no time." He pointed the stick at the splintered door and said loudly, "Reparo!" At which time the pieces of the door flew up and reattached themselves, and the door was once more in a whole piece.

Nora stared, unbelieving. "Wha...? How?" Was all she could get out.

They all laughed, and Landry led her to the couch. "Here, sit, we have a lot to talk about. Care for some tea?" Nora sat, nodding dumbly.

"All right, then." He waved the stick and a tea set appeared out of nowhere, complete with a steaming kettle. The others sat in chairs that surrounded her, as Landry handed out teacups. _What's going on? Did he just do what I thought he did?_

"One lump or two?"

Nora looked up, shocked. "Excuse me, what?"

Landry laughed. "Would you like one lump of sugar in your tea, or two?"

"Er...two. And some cream." Nora replied automatically. Landry handed her a teacup and sat down in another chair. Nora felt like she was at an interrogation, or sitting in front of a panel of judges. She put the tea down. "What is going on here?"

"Well, my dear," Trelawney said smiling mistily, "we weren't sure before, what with the tale of the Leaky Cauldron and the man in the scarlet robes, but now we are positive."

"Positive of what?"

"That you are a witch." Figgs stated bluntly.

"A what?" Nora blinked, unsure if this was really happening to her or not.

"A witch!" Diggle said delightedly, once again bouncing up and down, "And I'm sure you would make a fine one, what with a little work. But we leave that up to our wonderful schools, don't we Professor?" Professor Trelawney nodded sagely. "Professor Lupin and I would love to teach this young lady about the fine art of magic."

"What? Lupin's teaching at Hogwarts this year?" Diggle asked indredulously.

"Oh yes," Trelawney said, and, somehow through her numbness, Nora detected bit of disdain in her voice, "Dumbledore has asked him to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, which he has accepted, though I hope there is some means of protection. I mean, even now..."

"Excuse me." Nora said quietly, showing a calm she didn't feel, "Perhaps someone would like to explain to me what this is all about."

"You are a witch." Figgs stated again, "And we are wizards, and Professor Trelawney is a witch as well. It's all very simple, really. We live in the same world as Muggles, or, non-magical people, though we do have the upper hand in things don't we? We thought that you and your friend, Miss Glitwick were both absolute Muggles, but tonight proved that you do have some magic in you. Just how much, I'm not sure. But the only way to find out would be to take you shopping tomorrow."

"Shopping?" Nora asked blankly.

"Oh, yes dear." Trelawney said, smiling at her. "Shopping. We will have to make an important stop in Diagon Alley that will determine the extent of your magical powers. Now, I suggest you go up to bed, and try and get some rest before tomorrow. We have a big day ahead of us." Nora didn't want to get up and leave; she had too many questions racing through her head. Landry seemed to read her mind. "Don't worry about it until the morning. Then we'll answer any of the questions you have." Nora smiled for the first time, stood and left the room, her heart feeling lighter for some reason.

As she climbed back into bed, Elaine turned and looked at her drowsily. "Somethin' happen? Sounded like there was a commotion."

"It's all right, I just ran into a door, that's all." Nora said reassuringly.

Elaine nodded sleepily. "Okay. That's cool. Good night."

Nora lay awake for hours, thinking about what had happened downstairs. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. _Those people have to be crazy. Even if all this bull were true, how can it be that I am a witch and have never known it before?_ These thoughts ran continuously through her head as she slowly drifted off to sleep.


	4. A Day in Diagon Alley

The next morning, she awoke, and for a moment she gazed at the motes dancing in the sunbeams across her bed before she remembered with a shock what had happened the night before. Could it all have really happened? _Maybe. Something's telling me it did._ She carefully climbed out of bed, trying not to wake Elaine, pulled some jeans on, and rushed downstairs. She went straight into the dining room, where Trelawney and Landry already sat.

"Good morning!" Landry said brightly, "And how are we feeling this morning, newest member of the world of witchcraft and wizardry?" _So it is true._

"Shhh, Mr. Landry," Trelawney said in her foggy voice, "We are not sure if she can manage as a witch." There was a sudden clatter in the kitchen, causing the three of them to look in that direction. "Oh my." Trelawney said softly.

"What is it?" Nora asked, mystified, "Is Remus back?"

Trelawney blinked her bug eyes at Nora. "What? Oh, yes I do suppose he is. Mr. Landry, would you be kind enough to go help Professor Lupin with whatever he has gotten himself into?" Landry nodded, and left the room, clutching at his derby hat rather fearfully.

"What's going on?" Nora demanded. Trelawney blinked again.

"Going on? There's nothing going on that the planets and the moon can't tell us." Nora looked at her in astonishment.

"What kind of answer is that?"

Trelawney sighed. "Ah, I can see you are another one destined for the claws of Professor McGonagall. She's always looking for _practical_ answers, and she calls Divination a rather 'uncertain' field. Well, _she_ wasn't able to predict the rise and fall of You-Know-Who."

"You-Know-Who? What?" Nora asked, this time sitting down across from Trelawney. Trelawney widened her eyes dramatically. "The Dark Lord, the absolute epithemy of evil. About thirteen years ago, the Dark Lord, oh, I shudder to say the name, Lord Vol...Vol..Voldemort (There, now I am never saying it again.) had been at the height of his power. He and his followers were killing and torturing witches and wizards who stood against him, as well as hapless Muggles. Oh it was miserable, very miserable. The only wizard strong enough to stand against You-Know-Who is Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster at Hogwarts, where I teach. Then, on All Hallow's Eve, You-Know-Who visited the house of James and Lily Potter, a very strong witch and wizard, and he killed them both. Then he tried to kill their one year-old son, Harry Potter, with a very powerful curse. For some unknown reason, the curse reflected off of poor Harry, and drained You-Know-Who of all his powers. Now he has disappeared. Some say he was killed. Others say that he has hidden away, and is biding his time until one of his followers that was not thrown into Azkaban, our most heavily guarded wizarding jail, comes to search for him, and raise him to power once more. I have had certain trances and premonitions that allow me to believe that the Dark Lord may once again rise." Trelawney broke off dramatically, and Nora found herself leaning forward listening intently.

"Is it true?" Nora asked, reclining back into her chair.

"Every word. Ah, here's breakfast." Instead of Remus, Landry walked in bearing their food.

"Where's Remus?" Nora was concerned.

Landry looked away, saying, "Oh he's not feeling so well, so I sent him upstairs for a lie in." He tried to smile reassuringly at Nora, but she could see the tenseness behind it. _There's something they aren't telling me. I'll get them, don't worry, I'll find out what's going on._

She said nothing and started piling food on to her plate. Elaine wandered downstairs, yawning hugely and rubbing her eyes. "'Mornin'." She said sleepily

The other guests (wizards, they're wizards, Nora thought with excitement) walked in, both saying good morning to Nora with little smiles on their faces. Elaine noticed and looked at Nora quizzically. Nora shrugged, mouthing 'I'll tell you later.'

They ate breakfast in silence, with Elaine looking away as Nora poured ketchup on to her eggs.

Diggle broke the silence, asking, "When should we go shopping?"

Elaine looked up in surprise. "Oh, you are going shopping. That's nice." Landry and Figgs looked at each other.

"Well," Landry cautiously began, "Here's the thing. We are taking Nora shopping."

"You're taking Nora shopping?" Elaine asked looking more surprised than before. "Why?"

"It seems," Nora began, then stopped, took a deep breath, continuing, "It seems, Elaine, that I am a...a...a witch." Elaine looked at her hard for a second before breaking into laughter. The others glanced at each other as Nora tried to speak to Elaine. "Please, Elaine, this isn't funny. I broke a door last night, not even using my hands. And, oh come on, stop laughing, I saw that cauldron place that you weren't able to see." At these words, Elaine laughed harder, holding on to her sides.

"Teehee...This isn't...hoohoo...fair, Nora," She gasped, "Making me...hee hee...laugh so hard...ahooohoo...after...hoo...breakfast!" Nora looked to the others for help.

She saw Landry pull out his wand, and before she could say anything, "Silencio!" Elaine was immediately silenced. She reached up and touched her neck, looking panic-stricken at Nora.

Nora turned on them. "You...you...you had no right to do that to her!" She yelled. "Take it off. Now!" Landry shrugged and waved his wand. Elaine shrieked and ran from the room. Landry shrugged again.

"Just like any other Muggle. We may have to modify her memory."

"You are not doing anything to her memory!" Nora spat. "She's my friend, and I don't care if she is a Muggle. I'm probably a Muggle too, for all you know." Nora ran out of the room and up the stairs. She found Elaine stuffing clothes into her bag. "Elaine, no, please don't do this."

"Oh, and what, stay here and let you and your little friends play jokes on me, jokes that I'm not particularly fond of." Elaine shouted.

"That was no joke, Elaine." Nora said quietly. "That was for real. I really am a witch, or at least, they think so. This is the real thing."

"Sure, I believe you. Just make sure you write while you're with your loony friends here in England. I'm going home."

"How?"

Elaine stopped. "I don't know. I just want to get away from here. Everything's just so damn creepy. I'm frightened because I don't know what's happening to you, Nora." To Nora's horror, she burst into tears. Tentatively, Nora walked over to her and put her arm awkwardly around her shoulders.

"Elaine, I'm scared too. I don't know what's going on, or what will happen. But I think that I need to go along with the flow. I can't always run away from my problems, you know." Elaine nodded miserably.

"So does this mean you're going shopping with them?"

"Yes. I don't know what's going to happen, but I am willing to go into it. I've been thinking a long time about this. Do you want to come too?"

"No...no, I think I'll stay here and catch up on some reading."

"Are you sure?" Nora asked, and Elaine nodded. "All right, just, be here when we get back, okay? I don't want to find out that you've taken the next flight home." Elaine nodded again, and Nora smiled at her. "Thanks."

The six of them walked to the Leaky Cauldron. Nora felt a thrill of excitement as they passed through the doorway, as if she had already been here. It was just as small and dingy on the inside, but they didn't linger. Instead, they went out the back and into the small alleyway. Diggle started counting bricks above the trashcans, then took out his wand, and touched the tip of it to the brick.

Nora gasped in shock as the bricks seemed to swirl, then stretch apart to form an arched doorway. The four others smiled at each other and led Nora through the doorway, which instantly closed behind them. Landry grinned broadly at her, making a wide sweeping motion with his arm. "Welcome to Diagon Alley!"

Nora stared all about her. They were looking at a broad, sunny street, where there were hundreds of people, all wearing cloaks and robes of varying colors, and milling about various stores along the avenue. As they walked down the street, Nora wished she had another pair of eyes to take in everything going on around her. The stores themselves were amazing. There was a bookshop called Flourish and Blott's, with books on display that had _moving_ pictures on their covers. Then there was a cauldron shop, with cauldrons of different sizes and made from all different kinds of materials. Some were large enough to fit a man inside, and others were only large enough to put a drop of liquid inside. There was a store with magical creatures sitting in the window, and one with all manners of sweets Nora had never even heard of, such as Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans (A risk with every mouthful!), and Pepper Imps (Trick your friends and watch them breathe smoke!). There was a joke shop, and a potions shop, a magical plants nursery, and a...

"You fly on _brooms_?" Nora asked incredulously.

"Oh yes!" Diggle gushed, "Brooms are wonderful for getting around. Not as fast as Apparating of course, but they do serve their purpose. Of course we do use them for Quidditch, the best sport in the wizarding world."

"Quidditch?"

"All in good time dear." Trelawney murmured. "First, we must stop by Gringott's to exchange your Muggle money." Trelawney pointed ahead, and Nora saw a snow white building towering above the small shops. They walked up the marble steps, and were bowed in by...

"Is that a goblin?" Nora whispered. Landry nodded. "Yes. Anyone would have to be mad to rob it then, wouldn't they?" Nora didn't know it that was true, and instead studied the goblin. He was a short, swarthy man, with a pointed goatee, and exceptionally long fingers. They walked inside to see a long counter, behind which perched about a hundred goblins. Landry led Nora to one that was not busy. While he spoke to the goblin, Nora watched the one next to him, who was carefully weighing emeralds the size of chicken eggs.

"Do you have money on you?" Landry asked. Nora handed him the hundred pounds she had with her, and he turned back to the goblin. In a few minutes he turned and handed her a leather pouch. She opened it to see what kind of money was contained inside. Landry led her away, helpfully pointing out the different coins to her. "The big gold ones are Galleons. The silver ones are Sickles, and it's seventeen Sickles to a Galleon. The small bronze ones are Knuts, and it's 23 knuts to a sickle. See? Easy to remember."

They left the Gringotts bank, and Nora felt a world of possibilities open up to her as the leather pouch dangled from a belt loop. She immediately wanted to go through every single shop there, but they steered her towards a side alley instead. "First stop is Mr. Ollivander's." Figgs explained.

Mr. Ollivander's turned out to be a rather small and unimpressive shop, with a cracked and peeling sign above the window, and in the window there was a single wand placed on a faded purple pillow. A small bell jangled as they entered, and Nora could sense a change in the atmosphere, an almost crackling sensation, like static electricity. She saw dozens of long boxes neatly piled behind the counter. Landry and Diggle sat in two spindly chairs, while Anna looked around in interest.

A soft voice at her shoulder made her jump. "Is there anything I can help you with?" A short man with huge misty eyes gazed up at her from behind thick spectacles. Trelawney spoke up for her. "Ah, Mr. Ollivander. Yes, we are seeking a wand for this young one. It seems she only just discovered her real self, and we knew that you would be the man to help her get started."

"Of course, I will be glad to help. Professor Trelawney, is it? I remember your wand, willow, and 12 inches, very swishy, with the hair from a male unicorn, as far as I can remember. Good for charms. Let's see here," Ollivander pulled out a long tape measure, "Which is your wand hand?"

"Um...I'm a lefty, so I guess...my left hand?" Nora stammered, unsure of what was going to happen.

"Very good, very good, just hold it out then." Nora complied and Ollivander set the tape along her left forearm. "Very well then." He said quickly and turned to the countless boxes, examining them carefully before pulling one down. "Here we go, a fine specimen of a wand...Stop now!" Nora started, only to realize the tape measure which had been measuring between her eyebrows dropped to the ground. "Here we go, 11 inches, ebony, rather stiff, with a dragon heartstring." Nora took the wand and looked at it. "Just raised it above your head, in a sweeping motion." Ollivander urged. Nora did so, only to have it snatched from her hand by Ollivander, who quickly selected another wand.

"13 inches, oak, phoenix feather." Ollivander handed her the second wand, which he took away before she even raised her hand halfway. He chose another wand, and another, until a pile of boxes rose from the floor. Nora was beginning to have doubts. _What if I can't even find a wand for me? Maybe I'm really just a Muggle and this has all been for nothing_. She picked up another wand, and felt a warm sensation flow through her arm as she lifted it, and blue sparks flew from the tip of it. Diggle clapped his hands in excitement, and Figgs murmured, "Bravo, bravo."

"Very good," Ollivander nodded in approvement, "12 inches, maple, with the single hair from a unicorn's tail. I think it will suit you, wands usually choose their owners, anyhow." Nora beamed around at them all, holding her wand carefully. She paid Mr. Ollivander 12 galleons and 10 sickles for the wand, and they left the shop, Ollivander bowing them out. As soon as they left the shop, Nora felt a lightness sweep through her. _I'm a witch. I have a wand, I'm not a Muggle, and now I can do anything!_ Landry and Diggle congratulated her continuously, and Trelawney suggested their first stop to be an owlery, where Nora could buy her first pet.

"Owls are very good pets." Trelawney explained, "I know it sounds strange for me to be practical, but they don't shed, they're popular, and they are useful."

"Useful? How?" Nora asked, mystified.

"They are used for mail. You write a letter, attach it to their leg, and they deliver it to the receiver, wherever he or she may be. Most times they don't even need an address. We call it owl post." Landry said.

"Wonderful! I've never had a pet before." A sudden thought made her stop short. "Wait a minute. How am I going to tell my parents? How can I possibly explain this?" She hadn't thought about this before. _How will they react when I tell them what I am? They'll probably laugh at me or ship me right off to an asylum._

"Send them a letter by owl post." Landry offered. Nora immediately squashed that idea.

"I don't know how much they would like that. I mean, they've never even seen an owl, much less one carrying a letter from their eldest daughter telling them she's a witch. Oh dear, I suppose I had better call them using the telephone." Nora remained pensive until they reached the owlery.

Inside she found herself lost among a ruffle of feathers and soft hooting, with an occasional jeweled eye blinking down at her. They left the owlery, Nora carrying a wicker cage, in which sat a snowy owl, his head tucked under his wing. Nora couldn't help but admire the beautiful bird, which she decided to name Ulysses.

The next stop was the robe shop, where Nora was fitted for some plain black robes. The seamstress next held out a length of rich cornflower blue cloth. Nora loved it instantly. "Can you make a dress out of this?"

"What did you have in mind, dearie?"

"Something long, flowing, not too much on top, and I'm seeing a transparent sash here and there. What do you think?" The seamstress smiled. "I think I have the perfect idea. Wait one minute, and I'll show you several different designs, and you can pick up the dress tomorrow."

Nora left with the robes she had been fitted into, and a receipt for the dress she would pick up the next day.

"Now, for your first book. Perhaps, _Basic Spells, Level 1._" Figgs offered. They walked into Flourish and Blott's, and Nora found herself having to concentrate very hard on not becoming distracted. It was no easy task, as her passion was books, and her eyes wandered continuously over to a large cage piled with books that kept snapping at each other. A smiling wizard walked up to them. "Welcome, welcome. It's good to see you Mr. Figgs and Mr. Landry, and my, my, Professor Trelawney! Come to pick up a book on foreshadows, or premonitions? How about you, Mr. Diggle? Can I interest you in our latest charms book?"

"As a matter of fact," Landry interrupted, "We need to pick up a _Basic Spells_ book, if you wouldn't mind." The wizard smiled even more broadly. "Of course, of course!"

As the wizard went off in search of the Basic Spells book, Nora started looking at the different shelves of books. There were hundreds of them, on all manner of subjects. She somehow managed to walk into the section on Divination, and was staring at a huge blue book labeled _Death Omens: How to be prepared._ On the cover, there was a picture of a huge black dog that stared back at her with huge, emerald green eyes that blinked slowly.

Nora shuddered. _Who would possibly want to know about their deaths?_ She had a feeling that Professor Trelawney would. The door jangled as it was pushed open, and a tall thin wizard and a young wizard walked in. They were both blonde, and had similarly pointed, pale faces. The older one had to be in his mid-forties, while the younger one was about 14 years old. They were apparently father and son, for another book shop wizard ran up to them, saying, "Mr. Malfoy! What an honor to have you here! Ah, young Draco! You both look very well!"

"Yes, yes." Said the elder, Mr. Malfoy, dismissively; "We just came to pick up some school books for my son."

"Oh, yes, of course." The wizard said brightly, "What can I do for you?" The young Draco pulled out a parchment of paper and handed it to the wizard. The beaming wizard's smile faded as he read the list. "Oh, dear. _The Monster Book of Monsters_." He looked fearfully at the cage of snapping books.

"Yes, I shall be running to do a few errands. Draco here will pay you for the books." With that, Malfoy turned and walked out. Draco waited; looking around the store with little interest as the wizard pulled on a pair of thick gloves and approached the large cage cautiously.

Nora watched the boy from between the shelves. She supposed that he attended the school Professor Trelawney taught at, what was it called? Oh yes, Hogwarts. Maybe she should ask.

She stepped out from behind the bookcase and approached Draco carefully.

"Excuse me." Draco looked up at her, his eyes narrowing slightly with suspicion. Nora felt that this was probably not the best idea, but it was too late now. "Do you attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"Yes, I do." He said shortly. His voice had a drawling, lazy accent, and for some reason, Nora felt an instant disliking for the boy. She decided to press on. "Oh, are you in Hufflepuff by any chance?" Draco stared at her for a moment, a sneer spreading across his face.

"Hufflepuff? Am _I_ in Hufflepuff?" He started laughing coldly. "I don't think so! That group of blunderers and oafs! I would be a disgrace to my name if I were put into that house. I'm a Slytherin, my whole family's been Slytherin."

"What is wrong with Hufflepuff?" Nora asked, trying to make her voice sound as cold as his laughter. He stopped laughing.

"Everyone knows that Hufflepuff is a bit of a joke. No first year would _ever_ want to be sorted into _that_ House. I mean, Hufflepuff never really did get a lot of glory, now did it? Even Gryffindor gets some respect, and they're a load of dunderheads. No, Slytherin is the House to be in."

Nora felt herself growing defensive for some odd reason. She knew nothing about Hogwarts, or its houses, or what went on there, but she felt a dislike of this pointy faced, pale, thin boy, whose smirk was implanted firmly on his face. She tried to keep control, and saying politely, "Possibly. Well, I suppose I'd better go get my books then. It was..." She paused to find the words, "It was nice to meet you, I suppose." Then she turned on her heel and left the smirking Draco Malfoy. Nora decided that if she did end up going to Hogwarts, she would be sure to avoid this obnoxious character.


End file.
